pThis book provides the first comprehensive overview of the global landscape of documentary film festivals. Contributors from across the globe offer in-depth analysis of both internationally renowned and more alternative festivals, including Hot Docs Canada, Nyon Switcherland, Yamagata Japan, DocChina, Full Frame US, Belgrade former Yugoslavia, Vikalp India, and DocsBarcelona Catalonia, Spain, among others. With a special focus on historical and political developments, this first volume draws a map of documentary festivals operating today, and then looks at their origins and evolution. p This volume is organized in three sections the first addresses methodological problems film historians and social scientists face when researching documentary film festivals, the second looks at the historical development of this circuit within the wider frame of history of world and national cinemas, and the third reflects on how politics find their way through festival programs and actions. Curatoria